Health and safety: responsibility starts at the top

14/05/08 16:08

Business owners have been told that they have a lead role to play in ensuring the health, safety and welfare of their employees.

Speaking at a conference held at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre yesterday, Judith Hackitt, chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stressed that good health and safety practices are strongly linked to company culture, which is shaped by senior management.

“The responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of all organisations’ employees starts at the top,” said Hackitt at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ (ROSPA) Developing Leadership Action conference.

“Leadership from the top of every organisation is essential to create and maintain a real and lasting health and safety culture. Health and safety leadership is about good, integrated governance,” she added.

However, Hackitt argued that looking out for staff’s welfare is not just a question of ethics or legal compliance, an environment where health and safety is paramount makes good business sense.

“The motivation for building a health and safety culture needs to be driven by the belief that not only is it the right thing to do morally, but also that it is fundamental to the business success of your organisation,” she continued.

“Creating the right culture in your organisation will play a critical part in ensuring the health and safety of your workforce.”

The HSE advises business owners to take it upon themselves to make sure they’re aware of the risks that premises or jobs pose to staff, rather than leaving it to others, and to see for themselves what is really happening on the ‘shop floor’, rather than trying to make decisions from the boardroom on the basis of reports.